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534 


JAPANESE  COLLECTIONS 

(FRANK  W.  GUNSAULUS  HALL) 

BY 

HELEN  C.  GUNSAULUS 
Assistant  Curator  of  Javanese  Ethnology 


FIELD  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

CHICAGO 
1922 


uwrasmr  of  mwois  libra 
AUG  16  1922 


BRONZE  BUST  OF  DR.   FRANK  W.  GUNSAULUS. 


57Z 

no,  3 
Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

DEPARTMENT  OF  ANTHROPOLOGY 
Chicago,  1922 

r» 

V  "~ 

Leaflet  Number  3 

<r  

PREFACE 

In  the  premature  death  of  Dr.  Frank  W.  Gunsaulus 
this  Institution  has  lost  a  devoted  trustee  and  one  of  its 
warmest  friends  and  most  eloquent  spokesmen.  With 
his  universal  understanding  and  breadth  of  sympathy 
he  has  been  a  vital  source  of  inspiration  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  Anthropology  in  particular.  His  many  gifts 
to  the  museum  testify  to  the  wide  range  of  his  interests, 
his  artistic  taste,  and  his  discriminating  judgment. 
The  oriental  collections  were  enriched  by  him  with  two 
valuable  Chinese  embroidered  panels,  a  precious  rosary 
of  amber  beads,  Persian  glazed  tiles,  a  celadon  flower- 
vase,  and  a  remarkable  ethnological  collection  from 
the  aboriginal  tribes  of  Formosa,  which  is  unique  in 
this  country.  Above  all,  however,  his  interests  were 
directed  toward  Japan.  He  indeed  it  was  who  made 
the  first  substantial  contributions  to  the  foundation  of 
a  Japanese  division.  An  exquisite  painted  screen  of 
the  Tosa  school,  an  extensive  collection  of  sword- 
guards  and  sword-fittings,  as  well  as  a  collection  of 
books  on  Japanese  art,  belong  to  his  prominent 
bequests.  The  collection  of  surimono,  presented  last 
year  by  his  daughter  in  her  father's  memory,  was 
brought  together  by  her  with  his  invaluable  assistance. 
His  profound  interest  in  the  achievements  of  oriental 
nations  was  not  purely  academic,  but  he  was  also 
actuated  by  a  strong  desire  for  a  better  understanding 
,  between  America  and  Japan  and  an  earnest  striving 
toward  the  realization  of  world  peace. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  place  on  record  here  some 
paragraphs  extracted  from  an  article  devoted  to  the 

[i] 


2  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

Field  Museum  by  this  extraordinary  man  (Chicago 
Record-Herald,  4th  of  February,  1912).  At  that  time 
the  site  for  the  new  building  was  not  yet  decided  upon, 
and  his  utterances  are  almost  prophetic: — 

"Among  the  first  four  of  the  larger  and  richer 
assemblages  of  those  objects  which  make  for  the  edu- 
cation of  the  world-man  along  scientific  lines,  the 
Museum  itself  imposes  upon  the  city,  the  state,  and  the 
nation  a  demand  for  such  a  location  as  will  insure  for 
it  the  leadership  of  the  educative  forces  in  these 
directions,  not  only  for  Chicago,  but  for  the  whole 
country. 

"It  is  not  as  if  a  tremendous  library  were  to  miss 
its  end  and  aim  in  popularizing  intelligence — for  books 
can  be  loaned  and  circulated,  and  books  can  be  printed 
and  reprinted  by  the  thousands; — it  is  not  as  if  some 
superior  collection  of  jewels,  either  in  painting,  sculp- 
ture, architecture,  or  some  temple  of  music  or  elo- 
quence shall  be  placed,  where  the  common  people  may 
not  partake  of  its  beneficent  culture!  Perhaps  the 
coming  man  may  be  able  to  do  his  work  as  a  thinker 
and  as  a  creator  of  new  and  valuable  things,  without 
so  much  of  these. 

"But  the  scientific  method  is  the  method  of  the 
future.  The  art  and  power  of  thinking  along  the  lines 
of  nature  and  history  are  of  the  highest  in  value.  The 
secret  and  mastery  of  classification,  such  as  the  merest 
child  may  comprehend  in  visiting  this  Museum — these 
are  of  critical  importance  to  the  mind  of  the  future. 
Man's  past  in  nature  and  in  the  history  of  his  efforts 
at  creating  society — these  are  the  tremendous  and  un- 
failing background  which  must  be  taken  into  the  mind 
of  the  coming  man,  or  he  will  have  no  foreground! 
Retrospective  and  prospective  in  human  thinking  and 
doing  are  vitally  correlative.  The  Field  Museum  is 
indeed  our  crown,  and  we  must  all  agree  that  the  center 

[2] 


The  Japanese  Collections  3 

and  consummation  of  our  educational  life  which 
touches  the  poorest  child  and  will  exalt  the  richest, 
shall  be  located  so  centrally  and  so  magnificently  that  it 
will  attract  all  our  men,  women,  and  children  unto  it !" 

In  recognition  of  his  great  services,  the  Board  of 
Trustees  has  resolved  to  name  the  two  rooms  shelter- 
ing the  Japanese  collections  "Frank  W.  Gunsaulus 
Hall."  At  the  instigation  of  the  President  and  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  a  bronze  bust  of  Dr.  Gunsaulus, 
modeled  by  J.  G.  Prasuhn,  has  been  placed  in  this  Hall. 
A  reproduction  of  this  bust  appears  as  a  frontispiece 
to  this  publication. 

B.  Laufer 


t3] 


The  Japanese  Collections 

The  collections  in  Frank  W.  Gunsaulus  Hall  (Room 
30,  on  the  second  floor,  south-east  corner)  are  intended 
to  illustrate  certain  phases  of  the  social  and  artistic 
life  of  Japan,  and,  for  the  most  part,  are  typical  of  the 
period  known  as  the  Tokugawa  (1603-1868),  so  called 
from  the  family  name  of  the  shoguns  or  military  com- 
manders, who  ruled  over  that  country  from  the  seven- 
teenth to  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century.  When 
Japan  opened  her  doors  to  the  world  in  1868,  she  had 
been  dwelling  in  seclusion  for  over  two  hundred  years, 
admitting  no  foreigners  save  a  few  Dutch  traders,  who 
were  allowed  to  land  an  occasional  ship  at  the  port  of 
Nagasaki  in  the  seventeenth  century.  The  main  por- 
tion of  the  country  had  been  untouched  by  European 
influence  during  that  time. 

After  centuries  of  internal  strife,  the  mode  of  living 
changed  very  considerably  in  the  peaceful  Tokugawa 
period,  and  all  life  took  on  a  richer  and  more  leisurely 
aspect.  The  arts  and  especially  the  crafts  were  devel- 
oped to  a  marked  degree.  Such  pastimes  as  poetry 
writing,  the  tea  ceremony,  and  flower  arrangement, 
filled  many  of  the  hours  of  the  leisure  classes. 

The  shogun  was  at  that  time  so  powerful  and  dwelt 
in  such  grandeur  that  many  of  the  early  travellers  and 
possibly  our  own  Commodore  Perry,  who  landed  with 
his  fleet  on  Japanese  soil  in  1853,  thought  him  to  be 
the  real  emperor.  At  any  rate,  the  signature  which 
seals  the  treaty  of  1854  is  that  of  the  shogun,  and  reads 
TaiKun( "Great  Lord"). 

From  the  days  of  her  first  sovereign,  who  is  believed 
to  have  descended  from  the  Sun  Goddess,  Japan  has 
been  a  monarchy,  acknowledging  one  supreme  ruler, 
her  emperor.    In  reality,  however,  the  country  was  a 

[4] 


The  Japanese  Collections  5 

duarchy  from  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century  on  to  1868. 
While  the  emperor  dwelt  in  luxury  and  seclusion  in 
Kyoto,  the  powerful  generals,  who  subdued  the  war- 
ring tribes  in  the  north  and  west,  gathered  unto  them- 
selves all  of  the  military  forces.  In  time,  the  strongest 
of  them  became  the  shogun,  military  master  of  the 
whole  country,  establishing  his  court  at  first  at  Kama- 
kura,  and  later  at  Yedo,  the  city  now  called  Tokyo. 

Centuries  of  constant  warfare  evolved  a  feudal 
system  of  elaborate  organization,  which  was  presided 
over  by  the  shogun.  Under  him  were  the  daimyo, 
feudal  lords  who  were  masters  of  provinces,  each  prac- 
tically a  chief  over  his  own  small  kingdom.  The  daimyo 
were  supported  by  armed  retainers,  known  as  samurai. 
These  men  were  the  scholar-gentlemen  of  Japan,  privi- 
leged to  wear  two  swords,  forbidden  by  custom  from 
engaging  in  business,  living  within  the  precincts  of  the 
daimyo's  castle,  and  supported  by  their  feudal  lord,  for 
whom  they  were  ever  ready  to  fight  and  to  lay  down 
their  lives.  It  is  estimated  that  there  were  two  millions 
of  samurai  in  1877.  The  military  men  and  the  nobles 
of  Kyoto  together  formed  the  governing  class.  The 
producing  class,  comprised  of  the  farmers,  artisans, 
and  merchants,  was  sharply  separated  from  the  gov- 
erning class,  who  ruled  over  them,  and  who  were  sup- 
ported by  them. 

Under  the  Tokugawa  shoguns,  all  daimyo  were 
required  to  make  an  annual  visit  to  Yedo,  the  city 
chosen  in  1590  for  the  capital  of  the  shogun.  This 
gorgeous  procession  has  been  the  theme  for  many 
painters  and  makers  of  color  prints.  The  horse  trap- 
pings and  armor,  the  banners  and  ornate  bows  and 
arrows,  as  well  as  the  highly  decorated  swords,  com- 
bined to  make  an  admirable  showing  of  color,  as  they 
swept  by  the  kneeling  and  prostrate  commoners. 

[5] 


6  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

The  two  currents  of  influence  which  have  left  the 
deepest  marks  in  the  character  of  the  Japanese  nation 
are  her  military  history  and  her  intercourse  with 
China. 

In  a.d.  552  Japan  received  the  Indian  doctrine  of 
Buddhism  from  Korea,  which,  on  its  part,  had  adopted 
it  from  China.  With  the  incoming  of  this  novel 
philosophy  and  religion,  there  was  added  to  the  long  list 
of  gods  and  goddesses  of  the  old  Shinto  creed  (mainly 
based  on  the  worship  of  nature  deities  and  ancient 
national  heroes)  the  Buddhist  pantheon.  At  the  same 
time  and  during  the  succeeding  centuries,  Japan,  with 
her  remarkable  power  for  assimilating  new  ideas, 
introduced  from  both  China  and  Korea  artisans  adept 
in  every  branch  of  art.  These  brought  into  the  country 
not  only  their  skill,  but  also  the  customs,  ideas,  and 
literature  of  the  continent.  Up  until  the  sixth  century, 
Japan  had  no  system  of  writing;  and  the  adoption  of 
Chinese  script  resulted  in  the  introduction  of  the  folk- 
lore of  China,  evidence  of  which  may  be  traced  in  many 
of  the  legends  spoken  of  as  Japanese.  In  a.d.  645  the 
Japanese  court  was  organized  on  the  lines  of  that  of 
China.  In  the  seventh  century,  Buddhist  temples  were 
built  and  filled  with  Chinese  and  native  sculptures  of 
Buddhist  deities.  Painting  in  the  tenth  century  took 
on  a  distinctly  Japanese  style;  for  the  national  spirit 
was  rising,  and  the  people  was  determined  to  develop 
a  school  of  art,  that  would  be  a  characteristic  expres- 
sion of  its  own  ideas.  This  school  was  known  as  the 
Yamato  Ryu  ("Japanese  school") ,  and  later  became  the 
Tosa  school.  However,  a  revival  of  Chinese  influence 
and  a  refreshment  of  Chinese  inspiration  swept  over 
the  artistic  world  of  the  country  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury; and  from  this  movement  emerged  such  masters 
of  landscape  as  Sesshu  and  the  Kano  artists,  and  such 
exquisite  customs  as  the  tea  ceremony,  which  was 

[6] 


THE  UBRASY 
OF  THE 


SURIMONO  (COLOR  PRINT)  REPRESENTING 
■  SELF-PORTRAIT  OF  HOKUSAI  AS  A  FISHERMAN. 


The  Japanese  Collections  7 

developed  into  a  ritual  of  almost  religious  character. 
In  the  peaceful  years  of  the  Tokugawa  period,  the 
crafts  came  into  their  own ;  for  this  period  was  one  in 
which  people  had  time  for  beautifying  the  objects  of 
daily  life.  The  process  of  lacquering,  the  craft  of 
working  in  metal,  and  the  making  of  wood-block  prints 
are  three  branches  of  industrial  art  in  which  the  people 
of  Japan  excel.  The  two  last-mentioned  are  well  illus- 
trated by  examples  in  Gunsaulus  Hall. 

In  the  smaller  room,  there  is  on  view  a  portion  of 
the  collection  of  prints  presented  to  the  Museum  in 
1921  by  Helen  C.  Gunsaulus  in  memory  of  her  father, 
Dr.  Frank  W.  Gunsaulus.  One-fourth  of  the  entire  col- 
lection is  shown  at  a  time,  being  replaced  every  two 
months  by  a  new  selection.  The  larger  part  of  the  col- 
lection is  in  Room  51,  where,  on  application,  it  may  be 
seen  by  interested  students.  For  exhibition  purposes, 
the  entire  collection  has  been  divided  into  four  groups, 
each  illustrating  a  well-defined  subject,  as  follows: — 

1.  The  art  of  Hokusai  and  his  followers. 

2.  The  New  Year's  festival,  games  and  pastimes. 

3.  Gods  and  heroes. 

4.  Architecture  and  the  home. 

All  of  the  prints  in  this  collection  belong  to  the  class 
called  surimono,  a  name  given  to  cards  of  greeting  for 
special  occasions,  such  as  New  Year,  birthdays,  and 
meetings  of  poets  and  artists.  This  art  flourished 
between  the  years  1780  and  1860, — that  period  known 
as  the  Japanese  renaissance,  when  the  minor  arts  were 
at  their  best.  These  prints  were  produced  for  private 
circulation  and  not  sold,  as  was  the  ordinary  print, 
which  was  made  mainly  for  the  shopkeeper  and 
peasant.  Surimono  were  the  charm  and  delight  of  the 
literary  and  artistic  world,  and  were  presented  as 
souvenirs  to  a  limited  group  of  friends.    The  process  by 

[7] 


8  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

which  they  are  made  is  the  same  as  that  employed  in 
the  making  of  the  ordinary  print,  with  the  additional 
use  of  metal  dusts:  copper,  silver,  and  gold,  used  to 
heighten  the  elegant  effect  of  brocade.  They  are  also 
enriched  by  embossing,  which  in  many  cases  brings  out 
the  design  of  fabrics,  waves,  clouds,  feathers,  flower- 
petals,  or  the  rounding  of  a  figure. 

The  method  of  producing  them  is  as  follows :  The 
picture  is  first  painted  by  the  artist  and  pasted  face 
downward  on  a  block  of  cherry  wood,  whereon  the 
carver  cuts  the  picture  in  outline,  making  what  is  called 
the  key-block.  This  block  is  then  applied  to  a  soft  and 
delicate  rice-paper,  and  the  picture  is  printed  in  outline 
in  black.  The  colors  are  applied  by  separate  blocks, 
each  color  denoting  a  block.  (See  Hall  24,  Case  48, 
illustrating  Chinese  and  Japanese  printing.)  It  will  be 
noticed  that  in  the  surimono  the  registration  of  the 
blocks  is  very  accurate;  seldom  do  we  find  one  color 
overlapping  another.  Surimono  are  the  perfection  of 
color  printing,  technically. 

Generally  accompanying  the  designs  on  surimono 
are  poems  (uta) ,  which  usually  are  subtle  interpreta- 
tions of  the  subject  pictured.  The  artists  are,  for  the 
most  part,  those  known  in  the  print  world,  though 
Gakutei  and  Hokkei  are  known  almost  exclusively  for 
their  exquisite  surimono.  The  latter  was  a  pupil  of 
Hokusai,  the  great  artist  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
whose  prints,  as  seen  here,  testify  as  to  his  mastery  of 
the  brush  in  figure  drawing  and  his  deserved  reputation 
as  a  great  landscape  artist.  He  and  his  followers  may 
be  studied  from  the  first  group  of  surimono. 

All  these  prints  are  valuable  documents  in  the  study 
of  certain  customs  and  practices,  particularly  those  in 
the  second  group  which  includes  surimono  illustrating 
the  toys,  games,  and  musical  instruments,  as  well  as  the 

[8] 


r    *  i % 


SURIMONO  (COLOR  PRINT)  ILLUSTRATING 
PROCESS  OF  WOOD-ENGRAVING. 


THE  mum 
OF 


The  Japanese  Collections  9 

most  important  of  Japanese  celebrations,  the  New 
Year's  festival. 

Of  the  many  festivals  in  Japan,  that  of  the  New 
Year  is  the  most  widely  celebrated,  attended  as  it  is 
with  elaborate  ceremonies.  It  takes  place,  as  with  us, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  though  according  to  the 
old  calendar  it  was  celebrated  a  month  or  more  later, 
when  the  plum  began  to  blossom. 

It  is  customary  to  begin  the  New  Year  by  watching 
the  sunrise.  Most  auspicious  is  it  to  see  the  Sun  God- 
dess coming  from  the  cave,  as  is  typified  by  the  sun 
rising  between  two  rocks  known  as  Myoto  Seki  on  the 
Futami  shore.  Between  these  is  stretched  a  straw  rope 
(shimenawa) ,  one  of  the  most  outstanding  features  of 
the  New  Year.  It  is  made  of  twisted  rice-straw  with 
pendants  at  regular  intervals  and  decorated  with  fern 
fronds  (growing  in  pairs  and  signifying  conjugal  hap- 
piness) ,  leaves  of  the  yuzuriha  (a  plant  which  retains 
its  old  leaves  as  the  new  ones  bud,  signifying  a  long 
united  family),  a  lobster  (with  bent  back,  signifying 
age),  and  strips  of  paper  known  as  gohei.  In  each 
household,  these  same  objects  are  to  be  seen  grouped  on 
a  red  lacquer  stand  (sambo)  on  which  are  also  placed 
rice  dumplings  (mochi)  of  various  forms.  The  pine, 
bamboo,  and  plum  (shochikubai) ,  all  emblems  of  long- 
evity, are  used  over  and  over  as  decorations. 

It  is  believed  that  all  evil  influences  are  driven  out 
of  the  house  by  the  ceremony  of  throwing  dried  beans 
into  every  corner  (oni  yarai).  After  the  beans  are 
swept  out,  a  small  charm  consisting  of  a  spray  of  holly 
with  a  sardine's  head  is  fixed  to  the  upper  corner  of  the 
entrance  to  prevent  the  demons  from  re-entering.  The 
writing  of  poetry,  the  reading  of  a  book,  the  first  music 
lesson,  calling  on  friends,  presentation  of  gifts,  all  are 
indulged  in  on  this  day.    On  the  third  day,  the  mochi 

[9] 


10  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

are  chopped  and  eaten.  On  the  seventh,  the  seven 
spring  grasses  (nanakusa) ,  which  have  been  gathered 
by  the  young  girls,  are  chopped  to  a  certain  incantation 
and  then  cooked  together.  On  the  fourteenth  day,  the 
pine  and  bamboo  sprouts  placed  at  either  side  of  the 
doorway  are  burned,  and  thus  closes  the  celebration  of 
a  festival  of  which  this  is  merely  a  brief  outline. 

Two  prominent  features  of  the  New  Year's  celebra- 
tion are  the  many-formed  and  elaborate  kites  which 
are  flown  the  first  half  of  the  first  month  by  the  boys, 
and  the  battledore  and  shuttlecock  sets  which  are  the 
pride  of  the  girls.  The  battle  boards,  often  of  excellent 
workmanship,  are  made  of  fine  kiri  wood  and  padded 
on  one  side  with  bright  silks  into  a  raised  portrait  of  a 
famous  actor  or  hero  in  history.  The  shuttlecock  is 
made  of  the  seed  of  the  soapberry  (mukuroji)  plumed 
with  five  feathers  at  one  end.  The  penalty  for  letting 
the  shuttlecock  touch  the  ground  is  a  black  smudge  on 
the  face. 

Dolls,  stilts,  balls,  and  ropes  are  used  much  as  in 
our  own  country,  though  boys  do  the  rope  jumping, 
and  girls  play  with  the  hand  ball  and  show  great  dex- 
terity in  catching  it,  as  they  pirouette  between  strik- 
ing it  downward  to  the  ground.  Ropes  are  used  in 
different  tests  of  strength,  waist  pulling  or  neck  pull- 
ing with  a  loop  of  rope  as  the  medium.  The  games 
represented  in  this  series  of  surimono  are  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Go,  the  most  popular  game  of  the  Japanese,  played 
upon  a  board  with  nineteen  straight  lines  crossing  one 
another,  at  right  angles,  making  361  crosses  on  which 
the  game  is  played.  There  are  180  white  and  181  black 
stones  used  in  the  playing. 

Sugo-roku  ("double-sixes")  is  backgammon  played 

[10] 


The  Japanese  Collections  11 

with  dice.     The  board  upon  which  it  is  played  in 
surimono  No.  151513  is  now  out  of  use. 

Juroku-mushashi  ("sixteen  knights")  played  on  a 
board  marked  in  diagonally  cut  squares,  with  sixteen 
paper  pawns. 

Kai  Awase.  A  set  of  360  clam  shells,  one-half  bear- 
ing a  picture  of  a  poet  to  be  matched  with  the  other 
half  bearing  a  poem. 

Uta  garuta  ("poem  cards").  A  set  of  forty-eight 
on  half  of  which  are  the  first  two  lines  of  twenty-four 
poems,  on  the  other  half  the  last  two  lines. 

The  gathering  of  shells,  the  viewing  of  blossoms, 
and  the  listening  to  singing  insects  are  all  delightful 
pastimes  of  the  Japanese,  being  occasions  of  organized 
parties  in  which  men,  as  well  as  women,  enjoy 
themselves. 

The  accomplishments  of  a  cultured  person  include 
the  arts  of  painting,  writing  of  poetry,  caligraphy, 
music,  flower  arrangement,  and  the  tea  ceremony.  The 
two  last-named  are  outlined  by  stringent  rules,  and 
have  for  many  centuries  been  held  in  high  esteem,  many 
different  schools  devoted  to  these  two  arts  being  in 
existence. 

The  third  series  of  surimono  illustrates  certain  of 
the  household  gods  and  several  of  the  heroes  of  Japa- 
nese history  and  folk-lore.  The  story  of  Amaterasu, 
the  Sun  Goddess  and  heavenly  ancestor  of  the  Japanese 
rulers,  is  illustrated  by  three  prints  on  the  north  wall. 
The  legend  of  the  Sun  Goddess'  retirement  into  a  cave, 
with  the  consequent  darkening  of  the  whole  world,  is 
probably  a  primitive  explanation  of  a  solar  eclipse. 
She  was  lured  forth  from  the  cave  by  a  dancer  with  an 
assembly  of  musicians  and  gods,  who  are  here  repre- 
sented by  a  drummer  and  one  of  the  divinities. 

[in 


12  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

The  Seven  Gods  of  Good  Fortune  (Shichi-fuku-jin) 
are  to  be  seen  in  every  household  in  Japan,  and  appear 
in  certain  prints  on  the  south  wall.  They  are  derived 
from  Brahmanism,  Buddhism,  Taoism,  and  Shintoism. 
They  may  be  seen  associated  in  one  print,  where  they 
are  having  a  New  Year's  feast.  Fukurokujiu,  with  the 
tall  head,  is  the  god  of  prosperity,  longevity,  and  wis- 
dom. Daikoku,  with  the  rice  bales  and  magic  hammer, 
is  the  god  of  wealth.  Ebisu,  with  the  fish,  is  the  patron 
of  fishermen,  while  Hotei,  with  a  large  bag,  is  the  friend 
of  children.  Bishamon  clad  in  armor,  though  rever- 
enced by  warriors,  is  a  god  of  wealth.  Juro  Jin,  an 
old  man  with  a  staff  and  scroll,  is  also  a  god  of 
longevity  and  wisdom.  Benten,  the  only  female  of  the 
group,  is  the  goddess  of  eloquence  and  talents. 

The  pictures  of  heroes  are  interesting,  not  alone  for 
their  story-telling  qualities  of  thrilling  feats  of  bravery, 
but  more  especially  on  account  of  their  true  delineation 
of  the  arms  and  armor  worn  by  the  warriors  of  old 
Japan.  The  two  swords,  carried  by  all  samurai  or 
warriors,  appear  again  and  again,  as  do  also  spears 
and  halberds.  The  latter  are  of  various  forms,  straight 
and  forked,  and  generally  held  by  a  carefully  decorated 
hand-piece.  Battle-axes  are  also  evident,  and,  in  the 
case  of  the  older  warriors,  quivers  full  of  arrows  are 
suspended  from  the  left  shoulder.  An  interesting 
weapon  of  ancient  days  is  being  effectively  used  by  a 
woman,  Tomoye  Gozen,  in  a  print  shown  on  the  south 
wall.  It  is  called  kusari-kama,  that  is,  "chained  hoe." 
Attached  to  the  shoulder,  the  sickle-shaped  knife  was 
flung  at  the  adversary  and  pulled  back  by  means  of  the 
chain.  The  armour  is  all  of  the  old  type,  made  of  lami- 
nae of  iron  or  lacquer  laced  together  with  silken  braid, 
and  decorated  on  the  breast  plate,  shoulder,  and  hip 
pieces  with  precious  metals.  The  helmets  are  elabo- 
rate and  surmounted  by  gilded  horns  or  wings. 

[12] 


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SURIMONO  (COLOR  PRINT)  REPRESENTING  DAIKOKU,  ONE  OF 
THE  SEVEN  GODS  OF  LUCK,  SMOKING  A  TOBACCO-PIPE. 


THE  U88AHY 

of  tbe 


The  Japanese  Collections  13 

In  the  fourth  selection  of  surimono  one  is  enabled 
to  study  examples  of  the  architecture  of  Japan:  the 
peasant  dwellings  with  thatched  roofs ;  the  city  house 
with  its  sliding  screens  (shoji)  showing  the  garden 
beyond ;  certain  temples  whose  entrances  are  heralded 
by  tall  gates  (torii),  and  little  tea-houses  met  with  as 
the  traveller  goes  through  the  country.  The  interior 
of  the  Japanese  house  may  also  be  glimpsed  into,  for 
in  these  little  prints  we  see  the  maiden  at  her  low 
writing-table  composing  a  poem  or  seated  on  the  floor 
arranging  her  coiffure  by  the  metal  mirror,  the  house- 
wife preparing  the  tea,  or  smoking  her  pipe  by  the 
brazier  (hibachi).  Household  lanterns,  screens,  sliding 
and  folding,  potted  plants  on  lacquered  stands,  low 
tables  for  writing  or  holding  the  lacquered  and  porce- 
lain dishes,  are  all  pictured;  and  one  recognizes  the 
simplicity  and  artistic  restraint  of  the  house  in  the  very 
absence  of  the  cluttering  objects  and  bric-a-brac,  which 
fill  up  the  average  home  of  Europe  and  America.  The 
Japanese  house  is  almost  purely  Japanese,  untarnished 
by  outside  influence,  even  that  of  China,  the  country 
from  which  so  much  has  been  borrowed,  but  whose 
methods  in  this  respect  have  been  sparingly  adopted. 

In  the  larger  room,  Cases  1  and  2  contain  examples 
of  metal  work,  being  accessories  and  ornaments  used 
on  the  sword.  This  collection  was  presented  to  the 
museum  by  Dr.  F.  W.  Gunsaulus  in  1916 ;  other  speci- 
mens are  in  the  study  collection  in  Room  51.  The 
examples  in  Case  1  are  mainly  of  iron,  dating  from  the 
sixteenth  century  onward.  The  flat  disk-like  objects 
arranged  on  the  shelves  are  sword-guards  (tsuba), 
which  are  inserted  between  hilt  and  blade,  thus  afford- 
ing a  protection  for  the  hand  during  fighting.  The 
smaller  objects  on  the  base  of  each  case  are  orna- 
ments for  the  hilt  and  scabbard,  as  illustrated  on  the 
fully  equipped  weapons  set  up  below. 

[13] 


14  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

During  the  many  centuries  of  wars,  the  samurai, 
who  wore  two  swords  in  his  belt,  had  grown  to  look 
upon  this  weapon  as  his  dearest  possession;  it  was 
indeed  "his  living  soul."  On  entering  a  house,  the 
long  sword  (kata?ia),  with  which  he  defended  his  lord 
in  battle,  was  laid  upon  a  rack  near  the  door  (katana 
kake).  The  shorter  sword  (wakizashi)  was  always 
carried  in  his  belt.  This  was  his  most  prized  posses- 
sion. With  it  he  would  take  his  own  life  rather  than 
suffer  the  disgrace  of  being  killed  by  an  enemy,  or,  as 
often  was  the  case,  would  follow  his  feudal  lord  in 
death,  or  commit  suicide,  in  order  to  uphold  and  pro- 
claim certain  principles  or  to  raise  a  protest  against 
unjust  political  measures.  The  suicide  which  was  per- 
formed with  this  sword  was  called  harakiri  or  seppuku. 
It  was  a  fatal  crosscut  amounting  practically  to  disem- 
bowelment,  and  was  performed  with  a  staunch  brav- 
ery and  self-abnegation  characteristic  of  the  samurai. 

The  smaller  sword  is  often  more  elaborately 
decorated  than  its  larger  companion.  It  is  accom- 
panied by  two  smaller  weapons, — a  knife  (kozuka) 
and  a  skewer  (kogai),  both  of  which  pass  through  the 
sword-guard  and  slip  into  openings  on  either  side  of 
the  scabbar<J.  The  handles  of  these  objects  are  always 
decorated,  as  may  be  seen  in  studying  those  specimens 
arranged  on  the  floors  of  the  cases. 

From  the  sixteenth  century  on,  many  artists  devoted 
their  entire  energy  to  the  beautifying  of  the  sword.  At 
first,  plain  iron  was  used  for  the  fittings;  but  subse- 
quently artists  like  Kaneiye,  Nobuiye,  and  the  early 
Goto  masters,  created  their  guards  with  reliefs  of 
precious  metals.  Other  styles  of  decoration  developed, 
until  in  the  eighteenth  century,  when  peace  was  estab- 
lished throughout  the  empire,  the  sword  had  lavished 
upon  it  workmanship  equal  in  technique  to  that  of 

[14] 


of  m 


The  Japanese  Collections  15 

many  of  our  famous  jewelers.  In  fact,  the  sword 
took  the  place  of  jewelry,  which  was  unknown  to  the 
samurai. 

Alloys  were  compounded  of  indescribable  colors; 
the  dark  blue  of  the  alloy  called  shakudo  and  the  vary- 
ing grays  and  greens  of  shibuichi  combined  to  make  a 
palette  from  which  many  of  the  eighteenth  and  nine- 
teenth century  artists  literally  painted  in  metal.  There 
arose  schools  of  metal-workers  whose  products  will 
ever  remain  to  do  them  honor,— particularly  the  Nara, 
Hamano,  Omori,  and  Ishiguro  schools,  all  of  whom  are 
represented  by  examples  in  Case  2.  The  subjects  of 
decoration  range  through  historical  incidents  and 
legends  to  bits  of  nature,  such  as  the  simple,  but 
striking  motives  chiselled  in  open  work  on  the  iron 
guards  in  the  center  row  of  Case  1. 

In  the  Tokugawa  period,  the  serious  duties  of  the 
samurai  were  almost  banished ;  and  his  hours  which 
had  been  devoted  to  war  and  conquest  were  given  over 
to  the  leisurely  pastimes  of  artistic  and  literary  pur- 
suits. The  armor  and  swords  of  that  day  were  made 
for  adornment  rather  than  for  fighting.  The  yearly 
processions  of  the  daimyo  to  Yedo,  whither  they  were 
required  to  come  by  the  shogun's  order,  were  occasions 
on  which  the  armed  retainers,  in  full  regalia,  reflected 
the  elegance  of  their  chief's  domain. 

In  Case  3,  the  pair  of  large  bows  and  the  quiver 
with  the  gilded  leather  mountings  are  typical  of  the 
luxurious  accoutrement  of  those  days.  The  crest  im- 
pressed in  black  is  that  of  Nabeshima,  the  powerful 
daimyo  of  Hizen  Province. 

In  Cases  3  and  4  are.suits  of  armor,  likewise  of  the 
Tokugawa  period,  which  represent  the  fighting  equip- 
ment rather  than  the  armor  worn  on  parade  occasions. 
As  there  were  only  occasional  border  raids  to  disturb 

[15] 


16  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

the  peace  of  those  times,  there  was  little  use  for  de- 
fensive armor.  These  suits  are  typical  examples  of  a 
decadent  craft,  for  compared  with  those  of  earlier  date, 
when  fighting  was  a  glory,  they  are  decidedly  inferior. 

In  the  large  tapestry  on  the  north  wall  of  this  room, 
a  group  of  warriors  in  full  regalia  head  a  large  proces- 
sion on  their  way  to  the  consecration  of  the  famous 
temple  in  Nikko  which  is  dedicated  to  the  first  of  the 
Tokugawa  shoguns,  Ieyasu.  This  remarkable  piece  of 
handicraft  embodies  a  minute  and  exact  record  of  the 
carvings  of  those  famous  shrines,  and  the  red  and  gold 
threads  reproduce  to  an  extraordinary  degree  the  red 
and  gold  lacquer,  which,  with  the  colored  carvings, 
have  brought  forth  the  proverb,  "Do  not  use  the  word 
magnificent  until  you  see  Nikko."  This  tapestry  af- 
fords an  excellent  opportunity  to  study  costume  of 
the  seventeenth  century ;  for  here  are  heralds,  samurai, 
daimyo,  standard  bearers  and  lance  bearers,  actors, 
courtiers,  musicians,  and  commoners,  all  moving  in 
procession  across  the  scene.  Of  especial  interest  are 
the  portable  shrines  decorated  with  metallic  mirrors, 
birds,  and  hangings,  which  are  being  carried  on  the 
shoulders  of  a  hundred  men.  One  may  be  seen  on  the 
central  stone  steps,  while  the  other  is  half  hidden  by 
the  tree  at  the  left. 

In  the  center  of  this  hall  there  is  a  case  (No.  9)  in 
which  one  of  the  five  seasonal  festivals  is  represented, 
the  one  known  as  the  hina-matsuri  ("dolls'  festival"). 
This  celebration  occurs  on  the  third  day  of  the  third 
month,  and  is  a  time  beloved  by  each  little  girl  of 
Japan.  On  a  series  of  shelves  covered  with  red  cloth, 
she  will  arrange  her  set  of  dolls,  often  heirlooms 
handed  down  from  grandmother  to  mother  and  on  to 
the  daughter.  Seated  before  a  screen  are  to  be  seen 
the  emperor  and  empress,  with  the  old  and  young  court 
ministers  and  the  five  court  musicians.     Also  other 

[16] 


The  Japanese  Collections  17 

historical  characters  are  sometimes  added  to  this 
group.  Before  them  the  girls  are  accustomed  to  place, 
with  deep  reverence,  offerings  of  food  and  sake,  the 
well-known  rice  wine.  The  dolls  remain  on  view  for  a 
week,  after  which  they  are  carefully  packed  away  until 
the  following  year. 

In  Cases  5  and  6  the  costume  of  the  Japanese  woman 
of  the  present  time  is  on  view.  These  robes  are  those 
worn  by  women  of  the  upper  classes,  typical  costumes 
of  the  wives  and  daughters  of  samurai.  The  peasant 
costume  and  the  old  court  costume  distinctly  differ 
from  these.  The  wide  sash  (obi)  and  the  elaborate 
modes  of  dressing  the  hair  were  products  of  the  Toku- 
gawa  period,  again  reflecting  those  luxurious  days. 
The  sash  of  earlier  times  was  merely  a  cord  or  an  un- 
pretentious belt.  It  became,  after  the  seventeenth 
century,  the  most  important  article  of  a  woman's 
wardrobe.  Generally,  five  and  a  half  yards  long,  often 
of  rich  brocade  with  gold  threads  (such  as  on  one  of 
the  figures) ,  it  is  wound  tightly  around  the  waist,  thus 
forming  a  support.  It  is  then  tied  in  a  complicated 
knot  or  bow.  Two  styles  of  knots  are  here  shown ;  the 
flat  one,  used  by  married  women,  and  the  more  elabo- 
rate butterfly  bow,  worn  by  the  maiden.  The  dress- 
ing of  the  hair  is  likewise  an  indication  of  the  woman's 
position.  Made  stiff  with  oil,  the  wife's  hair  is  ar- 
ranged in  a  single  large  puff,  while  the  unmarried 
woman  wears  two  loops, — a  large  one  in  front  and  a 
smaller  one  behind.  The  street  mode  is  again  a  differ- 
ent type.  Two  puffs,  one  on  either  side,  are  held  in 
place  by  a  roll  of  silk  which  passes  through  them. 

The  robes  (kimono)  shown  on  the  three  figures 
are  typical  garments  for  winter,  summer  and  street 
wear.  All  are  of  silk,  two  being  embroidered  in  flowers 
appropriate  for  the  seasons. 

[17] 


18  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

Case  7  contains  some  examples  of  carvings  in  wood 
and  ivory.  The  wooden  masks  on  the  top  row  are  the 
type  worn  in  the  No  drama,= — a  classical  dance  accom- 
panied by  choric  songs  relating  ancient  historical  or 
religious  stories.  The  carved  ivory  sword  in  the  center 
is  a  very  excellent  specimen  of  a  purely  ornamental 
weapon  used  probably  for  parade  purposes. 

In  the  lower  part  of  this  case  there  are  some  Bud- 
dhistic images,  two  of  these  representing  Qakyamuni, 
the  founder  of  Buddhism;  and  the  third,  Kwannon,  the 
goddess  of  mercy,  a  deity  widely  beloved  in  Japan.  The 
miniature  shrine  is  a  good  example  of  the  type  set  up 
for  use  in  a  household. 

Case  8  contains  musical  instruments,  among  others 
some  of  the  different  forms  of  the  lyre  (koto).  This 
popular  instrument  was  gradually  evolved  from  Chi- 
nese models,  as  were  also  the  violin  (kokyu)  and  the 
reed  organ  (sho) . 

On  the  west  wall  of  the  room  there  is  a  folding- 
screen  painted  by  an  unknown  artist  of  the  Tosa 
school,  probably  in  the  fourteenth  or  fifteenth  century. 
This  screen  was  presented  by  Dr.  Frank  W.  Gunsaulus 
in  honor  of  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  Dr.  Skiff  as 
director  of  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History.  The 
painting  is  of  interest  both  for  its  subject  matter  and 
because  it  combines  the  predominant  characteristics 
of  this  important  school  of  painters,  who  were  the  ex- 
ponents of  a  purely  national  style.  The  artist  has  de- 
picted three  scenes  from  the  famous  novel,  "Genji 
Monogatari,"  a  romance  of  Prince  Genji,  written  in 
the  eleventh  century.  The  court  costumes  of  heavy 
brocade,  the  lacquer  objects,  and  musical  instruments 
are  painted  with  extreme  care.  The  innovation  of 
omitting  the  roof  from  buildings  in  order  to  see  the 
interiors  and  the  employment  of  golden  clouds  to  blot 

[18] 


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The  Japanese  Collections  19 

out  unneeded  detail  or  separate  the  scenes  one  from 
another,  are  characteristic  mannerisms  of  the  Tosa 
artists. 

•  In  contrast  to  the  Japanese  style  reflected  in  the 
Tosa  screen  is  the  scroll  exhibited  on  the  south  wall  of 
the  room.  This  is  a  wood-block  reproduction  of  a 
famous  painting  by  Sesshu,  in  the  possession  of  Prince 
Mori  in  Japan.  Sesshu  is  regarded  as  the  greatest 
Japanese  landscape  artist,  who  painted  in  the  Chinese 
style.  He  lived  in  the  fifteenth  century  and  went  to 
China  to  study  her  ancient  masters  and  the  mountain 
scenery  of  that  country.  On  returning  he  founded  a 
new  school  whose  members  painted  with  vigorous 
style  mainly  Chinese  sages,  birds  and  flowers,  and 
landscape  compositions  with  illusive  effects  of  atmos- 
phere and  distance.  The  panorama  unfolded  on  this 
long  scroll  is  the  artist's  reminiscence  of  the  scenery 
along  the  river  Yangtse  in  middle  China.  It  is  exe- 
cuted in  black  and  white,  as  is  characteristic  of  the 
Chinese  school. 

At  the  entrance  to  Frank  W.  Gunsaulus  Hall 
there  is  a  model  of  a  Japanese  pagoda.  In  contrast  to 
the  pagodas  of  China,  which  generally  are  hexagonal 
or  octagonal,  the  square  form  dominates  in  Japan. 
As  in  the  case  of  this  model,  Japanese  pagodas  are 
made  of  wood,  stone  not  being  employed  in  either  re- 
ligious or  domestic  architecture. 

Helen  C.  Gunsaulus 


[19] 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  PLUNO»-URBANA 


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